Big student beach bashes trigger wave of complaints

Updated 7:56 pm, Wednesday, September 9, 2015

The start of a new school year often coincides with student parties in the beach neighborhood, and this year proved no different.

Police said that at one point Saturday, there were more than 500 Fairfield University students at Lantern Point, well in excess of a long-standing court injunction that limits gatherings at the private residential association to 250 people — originally imposed to control the springtime Clam Jam party. However, police said the issue of the number of attendees is a civil issue, not a criminal one.

Officers first received a call around 1:30 p.m. Saturday complaining that there were more than 100 students on the deck at Lantern Point. They spoke with the president of the homeowner group, who apparently indicated there were no violations occurring. Later, that number grew to more than 500, the police report said, along with a DJ playing music.

The association president at that point conceded there were too many people at the point, according to the report, but the private security firm that had been hired for the event did not have adequate staff on scene. Police said they would not break up the party, and it would be up to the association to break up the festivities.

Later that evening, the private security staff cleared away the party crowd, and police said a large group of students in the street was being transported from the scene by Uber cars. It took 45 minutes to clear the streets, police said.

One student living at the beach reported to police that during the parties Saturday many unknown, and unwelcome, guests attempted to enter her home. She said she thinks one of those unwanted guests stole two Lantern Point guest passes from a drawer in her kitchen.